Indian Chronicles: The Kailashanath Diamond
by Ashwin.shekhar
Summary: A set of powerful diamonds are stolen from two tall peaks in the Himalayas. Whoever did that crime would face terrible wrath, both from the Lords of Heaven, and the God of Dead. If people want to save themselves, they must snd just seven children to do an almost impossible task... Watch the story unfold as Ardha-Ishwaras (demigods) battle their way through the Cambodian forests...
1. Part One: Ch I to XII

**Indian Chronicles- THE KAILASHANATH DIAMOND**

**A TRIBUTE TO PERCY JACKSON SERIES BY RICK RIORDAN.**

**By Ashwin T Shekhar**

**Gaurav**

**It is not every day that you confront a great five feet long snake in the principal's office. But, there we go, all that would _definitely_ happen to Gaurav. It all started with the school organising a field trip to the Marina Beach for swimming practice. Gaurav was sick of listening to the same words from the principal, , stating the terrible state of the school in sports and athletics. He was really desperate; to send off a whole terrible lot to the Marina is no small feat, of course.**

**Once they reached the Beach Road, the students at the back seat howled and hooted with glee. Gaurav got down with his best friend, Kamal and then came another bus. This bus had 'The PSBBMS' on the side. Down came two girls, chatting away their time and laughing. Behind came another two girls, who looked like they were amidst a deep discussion. Then a set of boys poured out, with one of them reading a paperback novel.**

**'Hey, Ashwin, can't you ever leave your novel alone?' asked a boy in front.**

**He did not reply, much too engrossed to talk.**

**'Um, Gaurav, would you please follow the line, or risk staying back, dear?' asked Mrs. Mehta, their Geography teacher. She did not leave any opportunity to show the class how the beach was formed and explain about the waves and tides and the breeze and whatnot.**

**Kamal dragged him along so that they'd not leave their class. Gaurav hated the sea. How much ever the teachers forced him, he could not help being hydrophobic. So, the swimming teacher told us to change, and once we came back, we headed out to a safe part of the coast.**

**'Students, we have to understand the proper techniques of swimming. It is essential that you hold yourself properly and make sure that you don't forget the posture. So let us practice the most essential...' said the swimming teacher, but Gaurav's mind had already drifted off. He saw the PSBBMS group heading towards the lighthouse. He had no control over himself. He slipped away.**

**He saw that the boy, Ashwin, had finally stuffed his novel away. He now had a notepad and a pencil in his hands and intently, he was making notes. The other girls, the chatting ones had stopped chatting but they were discussing something and giggling. He heard a few words, 'Nandita!'; 'Hey, it's not my fault, Swati!'**

**The shorter one was gazing at the southern horizon, and she looked at the sea lovingly like it was her life force. The taller one poked her.**

**'What, Nandita?' asked the shorter one.**

**'To remind you that we are here for half an hour not a lifetime.' said Nandita.**

**'Swati and Nandita, will you ever stop chatting?' asked Ashwin from behind. 'And don't you guess that you're being watched?' he said, gazing exactly where Gaurav stood.**

**'What?' asked Swati. She looked behind to find Gaurav looking at them. He felt himself pressing the urge to run away. Ashwin seemed to have spotted that.**

**'Hey, don't worry. I do hate spies, but you don't look like one. I just thought you were purposefully observing these two.' He said.**

**Gaurav must have been taken aback, but he said nothing.**

**'My name is Gaurav, and I am from Class 7,'he said.**

**'O' course you are!' said a voice behind them. Gaurav turned back to see Kamal in his favourite pink shirt and gentle smile.**

**'So now you are another character from the Redwood School?' asked Ashwin.**

**Yet again, this reasoning ability shocked Gaurav and Kamal.**

**'How did you find out? I mean, are we wearing our uniform?' asked Kamal.**

**'Big surprise. I saw another school bus standing next to ours. I noticed the name, that's all,' said Ashwin.**

**'Think we have to go,' said Kamal.**

**Both Gaurav and Kamal rushed off to see their school leaving. They got onto their bus at the last second.**

**After the trip, there were a few more lessons to endure. There was Mathematics, which did not go well. Especially when Gaurav messed up the value of pi and somehow got the answer in Greek letters, like around alpha and scribbled stuff all over the notebook.**

**End of the day was Value Education, and Gaurav forgot his textbook.**

**'That is the _tenth _time you have not brought your book, Gaurav! Go to the principal's office, now!' roared .**

**One thing about Nagraj's office was that it always smelled wet and evil, the kind of principal personality you don't wish for.**

**So, as Gaurav entered the room he confronted his principal storming over a rat.**

**Yes, it was a_ dead rat._**

**'Hello, Gaurav. I have been waiting for your entransss. I hope you parentsss will believe me that you are dead indeed. Sorry for being your teacher, child! I have been waiting for _too _LONG!' With the last word, he turned into a huge five feet long snake in a sickly shade of mauve with a huge rasping voice.**

**He lunged.**

**Gaurav just had one thing. He wanted to call out for help, but his moment of shook overpowered him. Suddenly, Nagraj turned into a huge wisp of purple smoke. '_Tum hisaab chukaoge, Gaurav!' _said the same voice before disappearing.**

** Ashwin**

**Usually, Ashwin would have wanted to stay right there at the lighthouse for a while to observe the excellent use of logic on the top, but well, maybe he could use the time to read his novel. This novel was no ordinary novel, a great story, and an absorbing one too. It didn't matter to him all the name-callings and matter which could just be ignored.**

**Just then, Swati and Nandita came towards him. Probably they had an argument, he thought.**

**'Swati is _immersed _in the world of books. But I am not. Tell me, how to exactly select the trial method among the principle of Pythagoras?' asked Nandita.**

**'No, I am not. I have to get marks, don't I? Tell me too.'**

**'You can do it this way. Select the smallest square to the next set of numbers and L-divide it, simple. Anyway, I know you came here to talk about that spy boy, right?' he asked.**

**'Bingo!' said Jasnoor from behind. She was sitting with Madhumita. They were talking about something. Parvati approached Ashwin, too, but with a different question.**

**'I want to know whether you go for any extra tuition,' she declared.**

**'No, I don't.' Ashwin replied.**

**'Then tell me how do you get good marks?' enquired Madhumita.**

**'All will be learnt in due course,' said an unknown person, a parent.**

**They got down from the bus and approached their school. Ashwin liked this building. He, of course, like Swati, loved books, but he had a different feeling about this place, almost like home. Students were running about here and there. There was perfect commotion around. Yet, he loved this place.**

**'I want six of you- Nandita, Swati, you, Parvati, Jasnoor and Madhumita to come with me.' Said the parent.**

**Weird, Ashwin thought. A parent asks them to come for a ride with him? Suspicious and question arising. That reminded him. Questions-asking session.**

**'Sir, who are you, exactly? What do you want?'**

**'My dear, just call all of them. Special orders cannot be ignored.' He replied.**

**So he called all of them. The car of the parent set out towards north.**

**'Hey, we don't have to go north, do we? That's out of city,' said the driver.**

**The parent muttered something about _meanwhile _and then continued giving directions. They reached a huge campus of school outside town. Redwood School had arrived. Two people were waiting outside. Ashwin did a double-take. It was Kamal and Gaurav.**

**'Sorry we're late. Get in and keep quiet.' said the parent.**

**The car veered off towards east till they raced through the outskirts of Chennai. They arrived at a small port village.**

**'North of here is Ishwar Academy. Please keep quiet when you reach there. And of course, by the looks of it, , you're in altar four. And perhaps Madhumita is in altar three. I don't know. The Ishwar will only claim your adoption.' He said.**

**'Adoption? Excuse me, sir, we _have_ parents. So if this orphanage is to take us, say no.' boomed Ashwin.**

**'Dear me,' mumbled the parent. 'My dear child, I am Narada, the messenger of the lords. Do not say something like that.'**

**The car trembled. They were now in a huge temple complex around a huge lake; something that cannot be found on Google Maps. With that, they saw, that the whole temple spread out over altars. Not normal ones, but huge altars with marvellous colouring.**

**As they passed the gates, Ashwin's face began to illuminate, and a Veena appeared over his head and a book fell on his hand from nowhere.**

**'Behold, Ashwin, the son of almighty Saraswati, goddess of wisdom, knowledge and arts. Please accept Ma's offering. Saraswati Namasthubyam.'**

**Ashwin took the book. It was named '_Hamare Sanskaar va Icchaen'_**

**That was in Hindi. Understandable it was.**

**And then, the sky rumbled, and Nandita's head glowed a reddish hue. Then, a silver trident appeared above her head.**

**'Behold, my godliness, Nandita, the almighty daughter of Shiva, the great destroyer of evil and the perfection expert. Om Nama Shivaya.'**

**They entered the city complex and the parent, actually Narada, led them towards a huge complex. The Sabha, it was called. It was full of mats on the floor and people talking. They entered.**

**'Nandita, and Ashwin, please go to your respective altars. Ashwin, as I said before, go to that white altar up there, near the _Pustakalaya. _ And Nandita, you must go to altar one, the huge altar with three stripes and a red eye, go.'**

**The others were left. They felt really nervous.**

**Ashwin followed Narada to the main complex, and through a confusing set of signs in Sanskrit, one sign said: Vidya Ma Viman. That one felt right, so he followed that path. It was marvellous. The altar was huge: in white and with enormous bookcases inside, and lots of worktables and beds where you could read. It was just Ashwin's kind of place to live in.**

**'_Svagatam. _Dear me, welcome to the Vidya Ma Viman that is the Saraswati Altar, that's what we call it anyway. You will excel if Ma wishes you luck. You have a great future ahead. Good bye, dear boy. _Krupya agya davam.' _He said so and rushed off towards a huge temple.**

**Nandita**

**Nandita was faint with surprise. God! (Correction: gods!) Lord Shiva had accepted her in! Just like that! A trident appeared over her head, and voila! Nandita, the daughter of Shiva is referred to as 'Her Godliness'. But her friends, they were blank, left out, knowing nothing about their godly parent.**

**Why had Lord Shiva claimed her, anyway? Why was _she _supposed to be his daughter? All these questions confused her, but she had no room for more, as she approached the grand Altar One, a huge dome protruding from a small sanctorum, with a Shivalinga, and of course, the whole outer colour was deep blue and three stripes of white were there above.**

**There also was a red eye, glaring at them, as though it had been forced there. And it was really scary to look at. Chants of 'Om Nama Shivaya' were coming from the sanctorum, though Nandita never saw any living soul inside.**

**'_Svagatam. _Welcome to Lord Shiva's abode for ardha-ishwaras. Half- gods in your language, I suppose. You and I, sadly, are the only ones part of this huge cabin, and sadly enough, my sister, Jyoti, is missing, or perhaps dead from the deadly quest our _dear _Narada had given her. Who can survive Naraka?' asked a boy, fourteen years or so, with such bitterness, that Nandita almost felt pity.**

**'Sorry, but I don't know who you are, and what you do. Please, tell me who this Naraka is, and perhaps I could help you.' Nandita said.**

**The boy looked stunned, as though he had not even realized that Nandita was there, and suddenly became aware of that fact. He shrugged and then started telling, 'So, welcome to our heavenly abode for Lord Shiva's favourite children. I am one of those, so are you. Let me show you around,' he pointed at a huge Shivalinga in front, 'this, the most prized treasure of our institute, is the Mahalinga. You must see that this radiates such immense power that the _bhoot, prêt, pisach _and _danav _don't enter our premises. But, only our people can control it. We are the only ones who can make the Shivalinga work for the camp. So, I hope you _do _help me.'**

**They followed a thin staircase lined with flaming fire brackets and entered a huge room with the walls full of candles. Glowing chandeliers and beautiful golden spheres filled the room. There were sofas and couches spiked on the east side, with a merry fire burning on the west. It was written, '_Danavo Bhagatam Shivam.'_ Loosely translated, it must have meant, all demons must fear Shiva.**

**There were two doors, one for '_Mahila' _and the other for the '_Purush'_.**

**'From here, I cannot guide you. So, please go front, and explore our great altar. Oh and just come back by five o'clock, just to come to the _Bhojanalaya _on time,' he said and rushed off.**

**And so the time came. Nandita rushed off to the main hall, that is, The Sabha, to see a huge set of people gathered around a yagna, or a fire, and she recognized four of them- Madhumita, Parvati, Swati and Jasnoor.**

**'Sa Vachan, give me your wish, Lords of Kailash and Sagar. Give me the ability, Narayana, to determine the fates of these people. What should I do?' Narada was saying this in pure Sanskrit, but Nandita somehow understood.**

**'What is he doing?' asked Nandita. 'And where is Gaurav?'**

**'There is always a sacrifice ceremony. If one of these four are not suitable for the god's choices, and they have found out about this, the memory will be erased and cleaned forever,' said the boy.**

**'_WHAT_?!' exclaimed Nandita.**

**Narada had started using his rites and rituals. He stood up straight and muttered mantras, waiting for the Lords to inform them about the decision.**

**The breeze grew stronger. The water in the pond rose higher. The fire danced and roared upwards. The sky rumbled, and the Veena started playing itself.**

**Then, from nowhere, appeared six figures- the forms of Brahma, Vishnu, Shiva, Gauri, Saraswati, and Lakshmi. These were just images, but it sure looked like the gods had changed a lot over the ages. Vishnu wore a delicately woven kurta in blue colour with actual fishes swimming in it.**

**Brahma wore a nice velvet violet suit and had well-groomed silver hair. But worst of all for Nandita was to see Lord Shiva, her newly acclaimed father. He wore a nice full-sleeve red shirt, and the symbol of a tiger was present in his pleated pants. He looked like a normal person who, like Shiva, enjoyed controlled lives. Saraswati wore a white skirt and top and had a novel- 'Great Expectations' in her hand along with her aeon old Veena.**

**Lakshmi was more modern. She wore a green top and a pink dupatta, and also a beautiful sea-blue pyjama. Gauri aka Durga wore a nice sari in red with gold border. This was how the gods looked now.**

**'My gods, how do you think of these children? Are they any help to you?' asked Narada.**

**'Narada, I strongly objected to this method of memory erasing in the council years ago. You refuse. But if you have read our laws carefully enough, there is a statement that if we gods claim our adoptions after a particular championship or contest, you cannot kill the children,' said Saraswati.**

**'Right. So this godly contest must be held on...?'**

**'...on Chaitra's first day. And that is tomorrow,' said Brahma.**

**'_Jai Bhagwan Aham Priyam!' _all the students exclaimed.**

**SWATI**

**Swati had never experienced a colder night than this, of course. She was abandoned for doing nothing, a child of nobody, and her friend Nandita had flown away to Shiva's Altar. This competition, of course, was not her game. She knew nothing of what the temple complex offered in the library; about Chakra Aiming and whatnot.**

**Swati was hopeless at _Talwaar Vaar _and no better at other things. And she was jealous of Nandita for her excellence in _YogMukta, _their complex's toughest endurance test.**

**And there was Ashwin, of course, getting time to be in the library and to have Vedanta and Ayurveda and Sanskrit classes to excel in.**

**She felt equal to Jasnoor and Madhumita, and of course, not Parvati. _Parvati's mother must be Gauri. _She thought and thought, and felt sore not able to comprehend why Parvati had not been claimed. And she did not want to think. She often would say in desperation to Jasnoor, 'Nandita means Saraswati in Sanskrit, then why in _world _would she be the daughter of Shiva?'**

**As the competition evening approached, she grew more and more nervous. The events were put up on the notice board.**

**First was a set of rounds of _Talwaar Vaar, _which she knew none of them was good at. Then they had _YogMukta_, and that wasn't her field of expertise also.**

**But then they also had Chakra Phekan, and Baan Teer.**

**She didn't know what they were but they felt comforting.**

**She saw a cute little squirrel approaching her. She saw it and squeaked, 'Hi there, squeaky. How are you?'**

**And believe it or not, _the squirrel spoke to her._**

**'Hi madam. My name is Pip, and I am the chieftain of all squirrels in north branch sector. I came to ask you about a major crisis in Road A-5, Nutshell Avenue. Tell me where to get an _ah-corn?_' it said.**

**Swati got one from the kitchens and gave the animal, and it happily hopped away.**

**SO, that was all she had: the power of talking to animals. Nothing else, only that was her power.**

**The horns and shankh blared and she scuttled away to the podium. She had to do something.**

**Then she saw the Chakra and understood. She was born to use that thing. It was round and shaped like a metal ball. They were divided, with Madhumita getting magic talent show as a challenge, Jasnoor getting cooking, sewing and treasure hunting in one hour, and Swati getting Chakra throwing. Parvati was about to get her task, but the head of Mahishasura severed appeared above her head.**

**'Behold, Almighty Durga has claimed you, my child!' shouted Narada.**

**So, that was end of one contestant. Selected before even getting her task. Now Swati has three more to defeat.**

**In one hour, Swati had to throw fifty chakras in the water with a small stretch of land. The land must be targeted every single time. If not successful, she would be thrown out.**

**Narada counted down to ten and blew the conch horn. The task had started.**

** Jasnoor**

**Jasnoor felt awkward for being have set this task. It was too tough for her, mostly because she wasn't a great cook. Even if she managed to cook something good at all, it would take supposedly a few days for her to master that technique. She was not good at sewing, too, and not to mention her clumsiness in knitting two strings of yarn in an hour.**

**She could simply not finish searching for a treasure; that too underground. She felt her memory ebbing away from her already. What was she supposed to _do_?**

**She could just do what she was supposed to. She checked her ingredients on the table: a few loaves of bread, some butter, cheese slices and a small tava. This was all she could muster of making: a simple sandwich. This sandwich would have to be simple. Really hard it would be. She fumbled with the knives for a moment, and finally she was able to cut a few pieces of cheese.**

**She had to do ten more in around ten more minutes. How much time could she waste? Suddenly, her friend, Madhumita appeared behind her, apparently dropping from a trapdoor above them on the ceiling. She whispered, 'Jasnoor, I can make things appear out of thin air, you know! What do you want? Tell me, fast! I have to reappear onstage after two minutes!'**

**Jasnoor thought rapidly. What would she need to make her task easier? A knife which could cut automatically? No, that would be impossible. Perhaps a bottle opener? That would be waste of her time. She kept on eliminating choices till she got it: a bread toaster!**

**'Quick, give me a toaster. Fast!'**

**Madhumita looked like she was concentrating really hard (like once she had during a history test), and suddenly a toaster appeared out of thin air in front of Jasnoor.**

**'I caught it!' she exclaimed.**

**'Good luck!' Madhumita said and disappeared.**

**Jasnoor had no time left, she had to do it. She assembled the contents in place and made a passable toast.**

**She rushed on to the knitting loom. Two pink sets of yarn lay waiting for her. She picked them up and started sewing them. She found these very soft and smooth. Not silk, but something as valuable as that.**

**She continued knitting, till she got a nymph sized sweater. She had somehow done this in a short while. Five past eight: twenty five minutes to go!**

**She rushed along the corridor to the outside ground, where there was a hole. As she came nearer, this divided into two more holes. Then, she found out that one of these holes had to be correct. The others were fake.**

**She somehow sensed that the third path, the one to her left, had some kind of unearthly metal inside. She knew that would be precious. She went in.**

**The tunnel seemed long, dark and endless. She whispered, and it echoed down the low ceilinged tunnel.**

**She kept on walking till she found a small block of pure pink metal, lustrous and beautiful, yet it did not feel like part of the Earth. It felt almost heavenly.**

**She saw the sign next to it, _Lakshmi Kamal Stone _the most precious stone of the heavens, only next in value to the Kailashanath Diamond.**

**She had no real idea what Kailashanath Diamond was, but she found a staircase. She ran up the staircase.**

**It emerged right in the heart of the Sabha, and she heard loud cheering coming from her left. It was Swati: she looked really calmer now, and much, much less talkative. She radiated a sense of power Nandita and Ashwin did last night.**

**It meant only one thing: Swati was claimed; she had a beautiful serpent hovering over her head. She was the daughter of Vishnu: the maintainer, the operator. She was in Altar Five.**

**Behind, Madhumita was searching for Jasnoor. She spotted her, and she ran forwards.**

**'Jasnoor! You made it! I thought you wouldn't be able to finish within the time limit! You were simply _excellent_!' she said.**

**Jasnoor didn't know how Madhumita came to know of this but that was explained. There was a TV screen in the front.**

**'My dear friends, Jasnoor, also, will not be insulted mentally, and behold...' Jasnoor's face illuminated with pink light. A lotus appeared over her head. '...Jasnoor, the Almighty Daughter of Lakshmi, the bringer of wealth, valour, and gentleness! Jasnoor may join Altar Six, if you please,' boomed Narada.**

**'Madhumita, I realized in the cookery area, you create things, right? So, you are the daughter of Brahma!' said Ashwin.**

**'Of course, so I am in Altar Three! Lucky me... anyway, I have to learn this art. It is not so easy, you know.' Madhumita said so and marched away to congratulate Swati.**

**Of course, Gaurav was _still _missing, but no one noticed that.**

**Gaurav**

**Gaurav felt terrible. The ones at Ishwar Academy had abandoned him, and they left him in this musty place in the middle of nowhere.**

**He had last seen Nandita being claimed and felt something sharp hit his head, and he had fainted.**

**And now that he had woken up, he found himself somewhere in a deep and musty cave, and by the looks of it, it was not in India. It was surely somewhere colder, and this cave's freezing temperature explained that. He then remembered.**

**'Kamal?' he called out.**

**Nobody answered him. He could see the faint silhouette of something in a diamond shape, and something which glittered really well. Next to it, gagged and tied was...**

**'Kamal!' he exclaimed.**

**How he had got there, he didn't know.**

**Except, he could see and hear two very deep voices arguing over something.**

**'Maharajadhiraj, this Gaurav has not been any use to us. Blacked out for a day, and he doesn't look like Lord's child either. And Nagraj _bhai _would have not been wrong by the looks of him,' said a first voice.**

**Nagraj struck a bell somewhere in Gaurav's memory.**

**Then he remembered. How _had _Mr. Nagraj disappeared? Gaurav had done nothing, just he had got nervous and had fumbled, but nothing else.**

**What did these voices mean by Lord? Who was their master?**

**'This boy will be of no use to us, indeed. But, as Lord Yama tells us to keep him in, I think he feels really tentative. I checked deep into his memory, but as far as I could see, he has no memory of his parentage,' said another voice.**

**'Maharajadhiraj _pe kasam,_ I know that this boy was being claimed by some lord before we kidnapped him and left a holographic image. Imagine our Lord's plight. He has had no adept children in two centuries, why not adopt him?'**

**Chilly though the cave was, but at the mention of Yama, the cave got colder. And Gaurav got scared. How had he got kidnapped?**

**'Nagraj _bhai _did a great thing by vaporising. If he hadn't, he would have felt the wrath of Lord.'**

**Gaurav felt scared. He quietly was doing something that he didn't realise. He was biting his ropes. He had become free.**

**He quietly slipped away, as slippery as an eel.**

**The tunnel was colder than Gaurav had expected it to be. After around ten minutes of trudging down the icy cavern with pointed stalactites and stalagmites, and cruel looking shadows following Gaurav and strange noises, Gaurav felt eerie. The school could not be nearby, and Chennai never housed such mean temperature.**

**The noises of something grinding were coming from behind. Gaurav did not understand where they came from.**

**'_Karunyaye, yaminiye! Om Bhagwane Priyaye! Om... nashtandriye! Karuppadivye! Yaminiye Vibramhate!_' some voices echoed down the cavern, as though chants were being made. The cave bended into a curve and the path started moving uphill. Gaurav panted and wheezed, but this path was not an easy route.**

**The voices disappeared now, and the path opened up into a round pipeline. This pipeline had skeletons of dead mice, rats and other insects like cockroaches. There was a steep rise in temperature. There were homely voices echoing above, '_Jai Bhagwan Aham Priyam! Jai Bhagwan Aham Priyam! Vishwa janani Durgaye, bananyare Brahmane! Jodhir nashta vipudaye, purvaya nama Shive! Prasiddo samsaaro Vishnave, Padhanti saadhana prakritiye, Saraswati Namostute! Dhanupadiye, ramave Lakshmi namostute! Jai Bhagwan Aham Priyam, aham Ishwar Gurukulamtam, Vardurtaya Chaturbhujam!'_**

**'Come on, children, repeat after me. This sloka is our academy's anthem. This means that we pay our homage to all the main gods, and of course, also to our academy. We pay homage to our gurus, and experts, and pledge our loyalty. Now, I want each one of you to make a note that in today's Sanskrit class, whatever learnt, will owe you! So, _Dhanyavaad Tvamev Chatron!'_**

**'_Dhanyavaad Guruvam Priyam!'_**

**These voices... Gaurav knew. They came from Ishwar Academy, he supposed, because the total amount of energy of the song was unthinkable.**

**He kept on walking, and found out that the path was no longer rocky, but it was becoming sandier, and he was getting nauseous. He kept on walking till he realised that he was drifting, drifting in the middle of the open ocean. He felt a plunging feeling in his stomach, and he fainted.**

**Ashwin**

**Ashwin saw the point in attending Ishwar Academy. The nice Sanskrit classes, the well-equipped Pustakalaya, the exciting Altars, the Bhojanalaya (the food hall) and the Shrishti Lake were simply great.**

**Number one, he found out about the various Altars within the campus. He got to know that there were totally nine altars, Nava Sthanaha, or the Nine Sacred Altars. They belonged respectively to- Shiva in altar one, Durga in altar two, Brahma in altar three, Saraswati in altar four, Vishnu in altar five, Lakshmi in altar six, Ganesha in altar seven, Hanuman in altar eight, and Kartikeya in altar nine.**

**These children, of course, had respective qualities. As Jasnoor and Swati were in _Bhagwan Chatvasthav_, or simply the Big Six, along with Nandita, Madhumita, Parvati, and Ashwin, they felt special. Nandita acted lonely, as though the Shiva Altar was boring. Swati excellently described the altar five.**

**'You know what? The Vishnu Altar is shaped like a serpent, and inside, we have a collection of seashells, conch horns, and we have a private aquarium! The long _Ananthashayana_ posture of _Pitashri _is often seen at night! And, well, I am good at archery and Chakra throwing suddenly...'**

**The Ishwar Academy's students would never address their fathers and mothers by their name. They would often use _Pitashri _or _Mata _or _Ambe_. The students had to wake up at 6 in the morning, and, must have a compulsory set of activities in the morning, depending on their altar number.**

**Swati did discus throwing, Nandita did meditation and penance, Madhumita did magic practice (Brahma's children had compulsory creation classes where they would be taught to make objects appear out of thin air, like magic), Ashwin went for Sanskrit classes, Jasnoor went for arts and crafts, and Parvati went for challenges in the ocean.**

**Ashwin had made one friend at the academy. A boy from altar seven was really friendly. His name was Vignesh. He always had _vibhoodi _smeared over his head, and he spoke faster than anyone could catch.**

**'Hi! Ashwin, did you get the eighteenth translation for Sanskrit? I got it as "my mother is everything, though thy not know thou". What did _you _get?' he asked at top speed, and Ashwin took a second to interpret his words.**

**'Of course, the Sanskrit translation master had told us not to use old English words like thy and thou and shalt, but it's your wish, to understand about the, _you know_ concept.'**

**The activities around were occupying, and took most of the students' energy. The altars five and four were collaboratively preparing a ceremony, called the Annual RathSamorav Inauguration. They had planned a set of rules for the Raths, or the chariots, that there would be a five kilometre long track along Ishwaralayam Parvat, the nearby mountain, and the altar to come first will get a prize, a direct conversation with their human parents.**

**The race inauguration was to be held on the Amavasya on the fifth day of Chaitra. The members would sign their names. The ceremony would have gone perfectly, except for the materialisation of a boy. A boy who was thin and spindly in a red uniform with the logo of Redwood School. This boy appeared in the YogMukta period.**

**This boy was named as Gaurav, though Ashwin remembered him, he did not remember seeing him. A vague and old and tarnished memory is what he was...**

**'Hi everybody...um, I'm Gaurav, er, if you know that I was picked up by Narada in front of the school and...' he mumbled.**

**'Of course, dear child! You are indeed Gaurav, the son of mighty Lord Kartikeya...' Narada said, as a symbol of a Peacock appeared over Gaurav.**

**Gaurav was looking unhealthy. He had, as far as Ashwin could tell, not eaten for days.**

**'_Jai Bhagwan Aham Priyam!'_ said Narada.**

**'_Jai Bhagwan Aham Priyam!' _exclaimed all.**

**Madhumita**

**Madhumita knew that magic would not be easy for her. She had to focus really hard, and most of the times there was always a risk of failure. Often the magicians would turn out to be children of Brahma or else huge liars and cheats.**

**'The irony of magic is, even though it can do anything, it always ends up in a complete opposite intention,' said Narada, once, at Creations class.**

**Madhumita had a lot of things to do. The days were often busy, and people had no time to sit in their respective altars and relax. Morning was usually really busy. Then, after lunch at the _Bhojanalaya_, they had to go for skill-moulding, that is, as Narada put it, different types of arts being learnt rather than one.**

**The day almost always ended cheerfully, and then after dinner, at the _Bhojanalaya_, where they would sit according to their altars at their respective tables (not just tables, often _Rajgaddis, _or royal throne like chairs).**

**Then the whole academy feared the dreaded lecture by the Sanskrit advisor, , who spoke in pure Sanskrit and spoke about values and _karma_.**

**'Students, my dears, I do not think you would do such a thing! I have come to know that during the YogMukta classes, you scream and shout rather than meditate in peace! Do you know that you are only insulting Lord Shiva, by not following proper methods?' he said one day, to tumultuous regard by Shiva.**

**Shiva answered in a weird way. The fire near the _diya_ rose in such vigour, that the nearest table caught fire, and the ones there were incidentally, Varun and his friends, the main troublemakers during YogMukta, the sons of Hanuman.**

**The fire turned a deep red and everyone gasped as the form became redder and redder.**

**'My Gods! You have brought up the wrath of the lord! Children, you are not fit to be taught anything! The Lord approaches with the almighty trident and the powerful eye!' said .**

**Unfortunately, Madhumita thought, was wrong. A deep rasping voice filled the room. The lights went off. Someone in the back row screamed, for a skeleton had appeared in their midst and it said in a horrible, rasping voice:**

**'_Behold all you people, who do not differentiate the unthinkable powers of Maharajadhiraj! You who think to betray him, and you who make us downtrodden! May the Curse of Yamraj hit every one of you!'_**

**'Ah! Thank you... my _dearest _people in the whole of upper world! How grateful am I to have heard your voices! You have underestimated our forces for years! You, the puny living souls, have made death a disgrace rather than something welcome. You at the very peak of your mischief have stolen my most prized Yama Bhoomi Diamond!'**

**'I, after all these years of complete riddance from the Bharatiya Samaj, have in turn had good riddance from you! But all your pestering little kinds have destroyed my most prized possession, which I have painstakingly made as an exact replica of the Kailashanath Diamond, and you, of all things hateable, have utterly sentenced it to doom! Your kind is the worst that ever happened to this world!'**

**'_Lord Yama curses every single soul in this room. The curse will bring every living soul in this room to our realm, in a very forcible way. Do not worry how grateful you must be to Maharajadhiraj, for he gives you a deadline! You must restore his diamond, as quickly as possible, before the start of Spring, to a planned location on Mount Aphrahan. Remember, you must get to the realm wherever it is, and bring it back. If you do not... you know the consequences!' _continued the horrible rasping voice.**

**The lights came back on. The heat came back. The room was filled with joy and laughter again, but the people in every table were discussing about the same thing: Lord Yama addresses us personally? And there is a deadline to this and the students at the academy will perish in just a fortnight.**

**Suddenly, Narada came in to the lecture hall and announced graver news still.**

**'My dear students, we have grave news. Lord Shiva's power, The Kailashanath Diamond, the power of Bharatiya Samaj, is lost! Or perhaps, as a second thought, it is stolen!**

**'We have a tradition, and I hope the older students will inform the newest ones about this challenge they have to face. One guide will be an old student, and the others' names are as follows: Parvati, Ashwin, Nandita, Jasnoor, Madhumita and Swati. Who will volunteer for the guidance that is the choice of the _Drishta_!'**

**With this, he walked away, and after around five minutes, he returned with an orb. This orb was very big, about the size of a football, and it was in the colour of sapphire. Much more, it radiated an immense kind of power.**

**'This is the Drishta, the seer of Lord Vishnu. This will tell you what to do. It will tell you the guide's identity, and it will tell you of your adventure: will it pass or fail?'**

**The newcomers ordered up according to altar number. When Nandita came front, it glowed bluer, and words started coming out of it. A clear female voice spoke:**

**'_Ardha-Ishwaras will go to the Samudra Devta's place,_**

**_Led by a boy, the son of the mammoth's race._**

**_They will join hands with the tide and moon,_**

**_Their powers will lie in Saraswati's throne._**

**_A son of wisdom will lay down a path,_**

**_And the powers of one lord will be broken apart'_**

**'AHA! Anyone from the Ganesha altar who would like to try?' asked Narada.**

**Vignesh tentatively raised his hand, but the sign of Ganesha appeared over his head- red sandstone, meaning yes, you must go.**

**'Settled indeed. Now we must move on to the next lines which are important. Let's see. You have to go to a Samudra Devta's palace, right in the bay of Bengal, and you must seek some clue. After that, I think, one power, either of the diamonds will be utterly destroyed. Feels really sad. Please, Nandita, you must penance to your father. Appeal him. Try to make him believe the state of the camp and try to undo the curse. That is all we can hope for!'**

**With that, he strode away, leaving all the newcomers and Vignesh in deep confusion.**

**'I know of one place, the nearest palace of the Samudra Devta: his realm is the area around the Marina Beach. Maybe we should try that,' said Swati.**

**'You can do that? Right then. Everyone, tomorrow morning, we must pray to our parents, then the godly parents. Try to take their blessings, and once we do that, let's set out for the beach in the morning,' said Ashwin.**

**As the dawn came, all the seven of them went out to the waiting car- the same white car of the parent. They got in, their hearts beating fast.**

**Vignesh**

**Vignesh had never thought that he would lead the journey essential for the Bharatiya Samaj. What could he do? The prophecy had clearly stated that a child of the mammoth's race would lead the quest: and Ganesha was (sorry my lord) after all an elephant headed god.**

**Vignesh had been giving deep thought about their quest on their ride towards the Marina. As the city got nearer, the ride became smoother; with fewer bumps. Ashwin discussed the possibilities of the diamond's location with Vignesh.**

**'I think this diamond would be up in the Himalayas, and not in Mount Aphrahan. It is supposed to be the guardian of our time, isn't it?' asked Ashwin.**

**'Yes, and a daughter of Shiva, Jyoti, had disappeared after a task given to her about a month back. She hasn't returned yet, and sources tell she had been to Naraka.'**

**'Naraka? You mean the underworld? How could anyone go to a place meant for the dead?' replied Ashwin, amazed.**

**'Actually, the underworld is meant for the dead. Maybe Jyoti _is _dead. We can't do anything about it. Let us check it with the Samudra Devta of the Marina, first. Then we will think about that.'**

**So they decided to stay calm and the journey was very quiet, for Swati was too nervous to talk, and Nandita was in a trance, trying to appease Lord Shiva.**

**About thirty minutes later, their car pulled up at the Beach Road, full of determined people running and walking to lose weight. A few people were running towards the ocean, and they were standing in front of the waves, staring and grinning, as though they wanted the waves to be fiercer.**

**Swati's face contorted with rage.**

**'How dare you! You think the waves will obey your command?'**

**Swati was angry enough to go and hit the man doing the baiting trick, but Jasnoor and Madhumita restrained her from going.**

**'How dare you! I mean, the waves will not obey them, and they will pollute it for a good cause! They never learn, do they? The tsunami our _Pitashri _triggered was not enough to make these people learn a lesson!' roared Swati.**

**'Calm down, Swati! We have a quest to finish, remember?'**

**Swati came to her senses at that.**

**'I thought someone said Vishnu's children are submissive?' asked Jasnoor.**

**'Oh please, here's a proving exception!' said Ashwin.**

**'Enough is enough! We are wasting our time. We have to contact the Samudra Devta. Swati, where exactly is he?' asked Vignesh.**

**'Over there.'**

**Swati pointed at the waves, and it was funny enough to see Swati pointing at nothing. Seconds later, their mouths fell open, as a beautiful crystalline palace glittered over the horizon.**

**'How come the other people don't see it?' asked Jasnoor.**

**'The _Dhund _takes care of that. This layer masks everything we see, and we don't see anything until we are adopted by the lords,' said Vignesh.**

**'But how do we get _over_?' asked Ashwin.**

**'That's easy. See over there?'**

**Swati pointed at an old broken down fisherman's boat, _The Madrasakappal. _**

**'That is, as far as I can see, an illusion. It is not just a simple boat. The nearer we get, the more it covers up its massiveness,' said Swati.**

**They approached the broken down boat, and it slowly changed before their eyes. And before they knew it, they were standing beneath a huge ship, with its sails in pale blue colour, and a marvellous deck with a great view.**

**The ship's real name was _Bharatiya Nauka. _This was a ship used by the Vishnu's children during the Great Wrath (the 2004 tsunami in Chennai was called so). They glided this ship in the waters to rescue fishermen who had almost drowned.**

**'Let's get in!' cheered Madhumita.**

**So they went in. They found out that the whole ship consisted of eight rooms, each room complete with its own TV and computer. There was also a commons area, a dining room, and an empty fridge.**

**Ashwin went near the fridge, and saw a familiar silver mark he had been told about by his half-brothers, and this was Saraswati Kalyan, or the Mark of Saraswati.**

**'I know what to do. Anything you all want to eat?' he asked.**

**All of them nodded in exasperation. They had skipped their breakfast because they were nervous, and they did not have time. Ashwin spoke in pure Sanskrit:**

**'Right then... _Saraswati Maye tum ham varadam swaha! Ma jayate! _Oh Goddess Saraswati, _Mata, _we are in deep hunger, and we want something to eat. Please fulfil our wishes of food, deep down!' exclaimed Ashwin.**

**And they opened the fridge.**

**'Oh wow, oh wow, oh wow!' shouted Madhumita.**

**The fridge was filled with goodies unimaginable; bottles of orange juice, water bottles, packets of bread, butter and jam, marmalade paste, jellies and stuff Vignesh really hated: pizzas, onion rings and tomatoes.**

**They ate to their heart's content. And the ship's sail was flared up.**

**Swati prayed to her father.**

**'_Shantakaram bhujangashayanam, Padmanabham suresham, Vishwadharam gaganasudusham, Meghavarnam shubhangam! Lakshmikantam kamalanayanam, Yogihridyanagamyam, Vande vishnum bhavabayaharam, SARVALOKAIKANATAM!'_**

**At the last word, the ship started moving. Everyone settled comfortably on the main deck, surrounded by the blue sea on all sides. The ship set sail towards east. After five minutes, Ashwin muttered,**

**'My goodness! I have something important to tell you! The Great Wrath had ended with Vishnu's children not able to convince their father, and they took the help of _Chandra_! Perhaps we could pray to him at night!'**

**'Good idea! Ashwin, you must do the praying, because it is Saraswati who understands Chandra. Chandra hates Ganesha's sons, and you know why,' said Vignesh.**

**'Why?' asked Parvati.**

**'I think you know my _Pitashri _cursed the moon what we call today the phases of the moon?'**

**'Oh, right,' said Madhumita.**

**After around an hour or so, the palace loomed into sharper focus: the sun was directly above it, but the walls glinted like they had been plastered with diamonds. Wait, Vignesh thought _diamond_s_!_**

**'Hey, do you think that this place might be an underwater mine's location?' he said.**

**Swati shook her head. She went to the front of the ship.**

**'Hey, anyone of you could just cut out that piece of rope over there? We might use it as an anchor.'**

**Nandita obliged. She went to the front of the ship, caught the rope, and cut it with a single strike of her knife: _Trinayan_.**

**The rope was tied to a very huge rock near the palace.**

**Swati jumped out of the ship and onto the rock. This rock was connected by a bridge to the palace across the water.**

**Swati got down, followed by the rest.**

**Nandita suddenly sighed very deeply.**

**'My father seems too busy to hear my penance, and he is not answering. Perhaps he is testing my patience,' she said.**

**They walked down the long bridge till Ashwin yelled.**

**'Ouch!'**

**'What?'**

**'Nothing, just hit my leg with a rock. A very _hard _rock. Hey, wait. That is harder than any metal! My gods, it is a diamond!' he shouted.**

**Parvati picked up the diamond and examined it.**

**'Looks like an alloy- it is oyster diamond. Ever heard of it?' she said.**

**Everybody shook their heads.**

**'The property is like that. It cannot be a pure diamond at any cost.'**

**They ignored it, but Ashwin pocketed it anyway: Vignesh saw it from the corner of his eye.**

**They marched towards the palace, and the gates flung open by themselves.**

**A conch horn blew.**

**'Behold! My dear friends, allies of the lords!' said a deep merry voice.**

**A tall man ran forward, with black- blue hair (was there such a colour?) and smiles so broad, that it could have been the mouth led to Naraka.**

**He was wearing robes of pure silk, and the colour was the colour of the waves, if there was any. He had a crown on the top of his head, which was wavy, and shaped like an oyster.**

**'How may I help you, _Swamini Swati?'_**

**He held out his hand and looked really nice.**

**'Actually, we are here to ask your advice.'**

**'Seek, child, seek.'**

**'So, yeah, we are here on the purpose of finding Mount Aphrahan, and also Kailash. The diamonds are missing from both the places. Could you help us out?'**

**The sea god grinned.**

**'Sure, my dear. You are the guests of my palace now, do come in and make yourselves comfortable.' He replied.**

**Swati explained about their ship, and the sea king looked very sad.**

**'Oh we cannot have you then? Anyway, all you have to do is to find the _Samudra Hira _and it will give you all the advice. Know the mantras and you will find your path! I am really busy today. So please don't pester me now.'**

**Vignesh was shocked. All the hospitality ended in just one dialogue. He knew why, because of his experience in sea gods. He did not tell anything.**

**(Actually, the sea gods usually would lure sailors into their palaces, and after doing a favour to those unwary sailors, they would put them to death and imprison them as bait to sea monsters)**

**'Don't listen! Run back to the ship!' he shouted.**

**They ran as fast as they could, with Ashwin puffing behind, and finally fed up, Ashwin vanished.**

**'My gods! Where did he go?'**

**After the six of them reached the ship, they found Ashwin waving at them.**

**'How did you get _there _so fast?' enquired Swati.**

**'Sunlight travel... it is the method of using heat molecules to transfer your substance into another place.'**

**'Huh?' asked Swati.**

**'Oh nothing.'**

**Ashwin opened his palm. He still had the Samudra Hira. He whispered to the others, 'This is the Hira. I have it, and keep quiet. I am going to consult it.'**

**With that, he opened up his palm, placed the Hira on a sacred stool, the _Palag _and chanted words in Sanskrit, which Vignesh could translate as**

**'Thy almighty Hira! You are the one we seek, thou almighty. You shall tell us the way we could find Aphrahan, and thou shalt tell us true!'**

**The Hira glowed blue: Vishnu was always related to Prophecies on Sea.**

**'_The four Ardha Ishwaras shall make a call,_**

**_The power of Luna, greatest of all._**

**_They will traverse the seas of yore,_**

**_To the land far ashore._**

**_They will think of the old Samaj,_**

**_The olden forests of Koulen-Kambaj_.'**

**'Another prophecy?' Madhumita complained.**

**'Well, we have to figure it out, don't we?' said Ashwin.**

**Swati**

**Being the daughter of Vishnu and all, Swati knew how to control the _Bharatiya Nauka_. She also knew the perfect bearings of the sea; that they were at 11.55 degree north of the equator and 91.24 degree east of the prime meridian. She also knew that they were passing an island to the west of Little Andaman, named as South Sentinel Island.**

**She knew that this area was deserted and prone to earthquakes, and she also knew that they were quite near to Barren Island, and as anybody knows, that is where the only active volcano in India is.**

**She tried to stir the ship away from that particular island, just in case anything erupted. She was gazing at the afternoon sky, and the serene ocean below. Behind her, at the deck of the ship, the others were discussing the possibilities of the location of the old Bharatiya Samaj.**

**'Old Bharatiya Samaj, at some Kamaj? What does that mean?'**

**'The Bharatiya Samaj declared one place throughout the Indian Territory as their main seat of power. And this place, as far as we should know, must be in the west, as the prophecy tells us to traverse the seas of yore,' said Vignesh.**

**'That means we must look for a country conquered by India in the east, is it not?' asked Nandita, twirling _Trinayan _between her fingers.**

**Ashwin looked as though in deep thought. He was frowning as though looking for something in a book with a thousand words per page. His eyes were moving too, like some kind of virtual book was in front of him.**

**'Hey! I have got it! We have to set sail to Cambodia! Now, or else we would be too late for it!' he exploded, leaving Jasnoor whimpering in pain as she closed her ears.**

**His eyes gleamed strangely, like as though something had covered them for a while. He glanced about, looking for a reply.**

**'Exactly...' said Vignesh.**

**Swati turned around, and spoke.**

**'I thought this voyage would be nice and comfortable. All we find is ...' she muttered something that nobody could hear, and she turned pale.**

**This was because she had seen her father's most powerful enemy, Kalia, or the mighty five headed serpent. He had such poison that could turn things to ashes, and he could kill goats with a stare. He was just like a basilisk.**

**'I have seen Kalia lurking beneath our ship,' she announced, looking grim.**

**'C'est impossible! Kalia a été killed par seigneur Vishnu ya très longtemps!' shouted Ashwin, and he covered his mouth.**

**'I don't know French!' he said glumly.**

**No one had time to ponder over that French outbreak, for a loud hiss filled the deck of the ship.**

**'Sssurrender, Ardha Ishwarasss, for I am the king of the evil snakesss of the world. I know that thy friend, Ssswati, knows of me, and my almighty father. He was ssslayed by thy father in the form of a puny _boy_.' The snake said all this in a cold whisper, and it dragged out the's' like a snake should.**

**Swati was the only one who could control that snake. She knew that the snake, Kalia could only be killed underwater, which her father had done. She did not know swimming that well, but she supposed Vishnu could help her in such a sticky situation.**

**She prayed for emergency and jumped into the water.**

**She saw why the Bay of Bengal was considered a cluster of the cleanest water. The least number of ports in the eastern coast made it clear that this sea was less polluted, and more vibrant than the one on the other end.**

**All around her were corals that gleamed in silver, lavender, hazel, blue and red. Small and cute goldfish scuttled past, and they stopped in front of her, and bent their little bodies like they were bowing to her.**

**She went in front, and saw a black tail gleaming in front. Then she realised that she had forgotten her _Chakra _back at the ship.**

**She saw something glittering in front of her.**

**It was a pearl Chakra. This looked sharp enough, so she threw it with all her might. The Chakra moved amazingly fast, and hit the snake at its tail. It howled in agony, but did not look quite diminished.**

**How had her father killed the snake? Then she got it. He had not killed the snake, but he had removed the power out of it by dancing on its head.**

**So it was. Swati knew the acidic properties of the snake's venom. She also had done chemistry in class. She somehow knew that something with a base would be perfect to give to the snake for eating. She got it. There were many bars of soap in the common bathroom in the ship. She would summon some of those into the snake's stomach.**

**'Hey, Snaky! Come here if you are truly a venomous python!' she taunted.**

**It turned around, hissed and came forward.**

**'I have a deal with you. In our ship, we have some excellent _Cake of Amrit _which you would like to have. You will not go to the underworld, you see. You will become immortal, and you will be the ever god of snakes!' she told it.**

**It hissed in delight.**

**'Surely I will not refuse such an excellent deal. The children of Vishnu are getting better, perhaps?' it muttered to itself and pushed Swati ashore with the back of its fin.**

**Swati broke the surface of the ocean, and tumbled back on to the ship.**

**Ashwin interjected her, 'Hey, is Mr. Snaky dead?' he asked.**

**'No, Ashwin, and I don't have time for all your questions. Nandita, please quickly fetch me five bars of soap from the restroom.' She shouted.**

**Nandita obliged and ran into towards the commons.**

**'Look here, we don't have time at all. That snake is thinking if devouring all of us, and it is vicious enough to survive the Great Wrath. So, I have thought about weakening it by adding basic properties to acidic properties of its venom. That explains the soap,' she explained to the others.**

**'Good thinking. Sorry about my French. That was _Mata's _blessing, I suppose.'**

**Nandita came back in, with her arms laden with _Fiama di Wills _and _Cinthol _soap bars, and a few sachets of hand wash.**

**Swati ran towards the railing and jumped in.**

**The serpent did not wait for her, and it just snatched everything. It ate all the bars in one gulp, and drunk the handwash liquid in one go.**

**'Bitter and I thought Amrit was sweet,' it muttered.**

**Suddenly it jumped fiercely. It opened its mouth, as wide as it could. It spat a bit of its venom on a seaweed, which remained stable, and if possible, became brighter.**

**'You wretched Ardha Ishwaras! You never keep thy promises. You shall suffer, only in later times. Let the wrath of the serpent be with you!'**

**The serpent had nothing other than its venom as its power, and as Swati had predicted, it swam away like it could disappear.**

**Swati and the others went back into their cabins in their ship, and each cabin magically suited itself for its owner.**

**Ashwin's and Swati's changed themselves into Marine Libraries, Nandita's became a meditation hall (almost), Vignesh's became a study hall, lined with blackboard and whatnot, Madhumita's room was full of statues and had its own TV, Jasnoor's room was complete with a table, chair and an extra fitting- an induction stove. Parvati's room was like a mini- science lab.**

**The second Swati sat on her bed, with a novel in her hand, she felt her eyes close, and the novel drop behind her.**

**Swati did not have a peaceful night. She dreamt that there were huge bugs feasting on something disgusting. She saw the silhouette of something in a dome like shape- a temple, perhaps, and trees all around her.**

**Sounds were coming from the temple.**

**'Do you not know, wicked soul, that you and your worse colleagues cannot even try to find the legendary diamonds? And I am sure you wicked ones do not have the power to control this forest, as it is the life source, and a living thing. I am sure your kind has no power over my territory,' said a high pitched voice, something more primitive rather than a human voice.**

**'No, Lord of The Wild, Shri Hanuman, it is not that which I am talking of,' said another voice, which sounded panicky.**

**'Oh nonsense. I know of my co operators of the world. I know what Yama is up to. I know of his plans to seize the Kailashanath which is identical to the Yama Bhoomi. I just know of your work. Why will you set fire to my territories around the world, otherwise?' said Hanuman.**

**'My Lord, it is only we want to protect your pestering children, that's all.'**

**Behind Swati's dreamy self, huge figures were moving. Crying and shouting filled the area.**

**'Why did you set fire to Angkor Wat? I must regret this,' said Hanuman.**

**The second voice shouted in pain as the owner of the voice crumpled beneath, the ground dissolving around him.**

**Nandita was not able to sleep at all even when the ship was silent and it rocked its way through the bay. The adjacent cabin, Ashwin's had its light on, but there was no audible sound. All the other cabins' occupants were soundly asleep.**

**Nandita felt a bit uneasy, and she always was a bit scared of the sea sometimes, but she had never felt so uncomfortable. So, she switched on her light, and walked over, went outside, and leaned over the railing, and viewed the horizon.**

**She peeked inside Ashwin's cabin through the window, and saw him reading a book in full attention. She suspected if he was deserted of his extra powerful senses when he was reading.**

**She moved a bit closer, only to find that he was reading is mother's gift: _Hamare Sanskaar va Icchaen_. He was too engulfed in its world to observe his surroundings. She wondered of his sudden French outbreak during Swati's return, and how sudden it had been...**

**She felt it did not matter much, but she knew that Swati had changed a lot after her claiming and adoption. The chatterbox had somehow turned a bit more subtle, if possible. Swati was a bit more patient and less impulsive. She had inherited her _Pitashri_'s traits: Vishnu was submissive and gentle, but his anger was really immense: especially the Great Wrath...**

**She knew that the 2004 tsunami at Chennai had caused the most disaster in Indian history, and she also knew of Vishnu's children and how they had eradicated their father's Wrath. Nandita was thinking too much, a bit just more and more...**

**She was too occupied to notice a strange red light near her shoulder, where she usually kept _Trinayan _and she was thinking of too many things.**

**If she had been any observant, she would have noticed that this particular glow spread through her dress like anything, and she was glowing like a lustrous diamond. Until a voice spoke to her, she never knew what was happening to her...**

**'Dear child, you have my blessing. I have removed the curse from your academy, and of course, I have entrusted the search of my own diamond to you. You see, child, my diamond is made out of the very things Yama Bhoomi feeds upon: happiness, hope and cheer. If you need to get my diamond, sense these feelings in an extreme around you, and you will find the Kailashanath. If not, I do shudder to think of my despair, and of this country's, too. You are my only hope, child...'**

**With that, the calm yet overpowering voice faded, and so did her glow. She was sure that that message was from her very own father. She knew it.**

**Whereas, Ashwin was inside his room, and Nandita peeped inside, beside herself in anxiety.**

**'Ma, how in the world can I pinpoint this location? Firstly, I must go out now and pray to Chandra. Then I must also accomplish your task... How do you expect me to do this?' he whispered, to a white glow on his book.**

**Nandita saw it and gasped. It was Saraswati, the goddess of wisdom and knowledge and studies. She looked a bit angry and sad at the same time.**

**'Son, you are the only one I feel worthy of this quest. You will have to do it. The throne is very weak without that particular mantra, and the mantra is the holder of all universal truths, out of which only two have been revealed.'**

**'But Ma, I have to accompany these people on their quest too. I must not parry with a double burden, it might lead to my failure.' He said it with such modulation that it felt almost desperate not to leave this quest.**

**'I know you are one of the only children of mine who has read this book in my prescribed time: a week after I gave this book. You have done it and proved yourself worthy. You will at all costs, join me and my other children on this quest. You will be the one to seek the power of _Gyana_, or knowledge! You must alert all your friends of it. You should make sure that you remain faithful in both your quests. _Varadam ichhavam Padhanti!_'**

**She said so and vanished.**

**Ashwin seemed to have got back his extra senses.**

**'Nandita! What in the world are you doing here?' he asked.**

**'Thinking of coincidences.'**

**'What kind of coincidences?' he asked.**

**'I got a message form Pitashri, and you get one form Ma. How very deliberate it seems...'**

**'Oh, so you witnessed it all. Wish I'd closed the window shutters. Anyway, I have to go on another flipping quest to save the _Brahmane Shweta Padma_. How so unlucky... These gods have made us their very powerful aids,' he said.**

**'Oh, and I have to find Jyoti,' said Nandita exasperatedly.**

**'So both of us have the woes of our parent gods... And the others? It is already nearing dawn, and Swati must wake up to accelerate the ship!' said Ashwin.**

**So it was. After around fifteen minutes of brushing teeth, washing up and having breakfast, Swati signalled everyone at the table and swallowed her toast forcefully.**

**'Friends,' _Gulp_. 'I have something to tell you. I dreamt last night of something really weird. I saw Lord Hanuman blast an underworld creature to pieces, near a forest, near a huge temple called Angko What.'**

**'Surely you mean _Angkor Wat?_' asked Ashwin.**

**'Yeah, yeah. So I am setting sail for Kambaj right away.'**

**It was as arranged. They passed a huge island with sprawling acres of forests and a nasty mountain up at the top.**

**According to Nandita, that looked like someone's turned up nose. Swati informed it was Barren Island, and she could think of no other way to Cambodia.**

**'What about our quests? I mean, Nandita's quest is too too connected. She gets to find Jyoti, while I have to search for a white lotus made of pure knowledge, and every grain of pollen made from a Vedic hymn.'**

**Ashwin moaned a lot, but he remained occupied with his gift.**

**'What is so interesting in there?' asked Swati.**

**'Oh just facts about gods, us and demons, and we also have a glossary on the main places related to the Bharatiya Samaj.**

**'So Cambodia is there in the list?'**

**'Of course. The ruler Jayavarman II, the son of Lord Vishnu, built a temple in the honour of the Big Six at Angkor, where he stored his Ardha Ishwara faculties. His empire was lost after his death, and it was covered in the Kanyo and Koulen forests till an excavation happened.'**

**'Oh!'**

**Ashwin thought of his quest, and how it would help his mother. The pure strands of knowledge would be hidden throughout the year.**


	2. Part Two: POV: Ashwin

**Those of you who have read my awaited chapters, here it is!**

**Part two: The Journey: **

**Ashwin**

Ashwin could not comprehend the location of the White Lotus, the symbol of Ma Saraswati. He thought and pondered over it, but he could in no way find any pinpointed location anywhere in _that _world.

Meanwhile, Swati and Nandita were discussing how to navigate through the ocean towards Cambodia.

'I think we must set sail through Borneo,' said Swati.

'No, it will be foolish. We must move to Cambodia through the Indian Ocean right away!' exclaimed Nandita.

Ashwin felt he was being selfish and he opened up his gift, _Hamare Sanskaar Va Icchaen._

He flipped over the page to Kambaj, the old power of the gods. He read out an interesting passage to the others.

'Hey, hear this. Cambodia is one of the countries in the SAARC. It is a country filled with marvellous forests and ancient temples to all our lords. Mainly, the people of this region follow Buddhism, and the area around the ancient temple of Angkor Wat houses more than a hundred Hindus. Geographically, Cambodia is divided into two by Tanyakoa River, which is underground, and is mythical. This river is the channel to Cambodia from 12.2778° N, 93.8583° E, that is, our modern Barren Island.' He said this slowly, so each and everyone could comprehend.

'So, we have to find this Tanyakoa River?' asked Swati.

'The real Indian name of this river is Tanyakaveri River, so you must just find a water source which is like a river around here.'

'D'you have any idea where this river would end up?' asked Nandita.

'According to Ma, it ends up right in the Kanyo and Koulen forests, in the heart of Cambodia. That is about fifteen miles to Angkor Wat.'

Ashwin thought he had overstuffed everybody with facts, but he had no other choice but to inform them.

'What about the first line of the second prophecy?'

'Yeah, what about it?'

'My goodness, haven't you guessed? Four of us must appeal Chandra, and make him help us in this quest for surviving!' said Ashwin, exasperated.

Nandita looked serious, and thoughtful at the same time.

'We have to find it, no other go.'

Swati suddenly exclaimed.

'Oh no! I think we have a whirlpool below our ship,' she said.

Swati was right. The ship lurched forcefully to one side, and then to another. There was a huge plunge hole right in front of their ship.

Swati looked like she had had a heart attack.

'That whirlpool, it ends up somewhere in a lake… I think it is the Tanyakao River… which else river would teleport us somewhere else?' she said.

Ashwin looked determined.

'We must will the ship to get inside. The power of the river won't be enough to break this ship, I know. Swati, do it _now_.' He said it with such command; Swati obliged and forced the ship.

Jasnoor and Madhumita screamed together, as they plunged deeper and deeper into a field of dark blue…

Ashwin was the one to wake up first. He found that all of them were unconscious, and that the ship was sailing peacefully through a calm river, and Ashwin craned his neck up, to see a deep tube-like structure in which water flowed, like a pipe.

He willed himself to walk to the fridge and take out ice-cold water.

He went to Swati and spilt five really cold drops on her eyes.

She shook, and then opened her eyes.

'I feel like I hit a brick wall,' she said, clutching her forehead.

Ashwin thought that Swati was the best simile speaker, because that was exactly how he felt, too.

Swati now aided him in waking up all the others, who groaned and held their temples as though they too experienced the same feeling.

'Cosmovelocity,' said Vignesh.

'What?'

'Cosmovelocity occurs when you enter an impossible world, according to physics, and your human side faces pain, whereas your god side remains healthy. You experience slight pain on your forehead,' explained Vignesh.

Ashwin gestured everyone to come to his cabin. He went inside, the others followed, and he closed the door.

He went to the TV, switched it on, and opened surveillance CCTV.

'What do you want to do?' asked Madhumita.

Ashwin remained silent. He selected the deck camera, and hit enter.

All of them gasped, except Ashwin, who still seriously stared at the screen.

'How on earth is the moon visible?' asked Swati.

The moon was visible, even though they were in a cosmic world.

'Nandita, Swati and Parvati, come here. Repeat after me,' he ordered.

'_Chandrasya srunu naamaani, shubadhani mahee pathe,_ _Yani sruthwa narodukhan muchyathe nathra samsaya._

They repeated properly. Swati clasped her mouth when they saw the Moon getting bigger and bigger, and finally, a young man of about twenty descending from it. He wore a silver pyjama-kurta and had a warm smile. He walked onto the ship, and the moon's brightness seemed to follow him.

_Knock. Knock._

Noises came from the door. Ashwin went and answered the door.

'Svagatam, my lord. Welcome to our abode. I really enjoy your sheetal company. Please help us in navigating through this river,' Ashwin said,

Chandra devta smiled and raised his right hand. He blessed them, and disappeared.

The ship started sailing faster.

Swati noticed the speed and spoke:

'How are we getting faster? I am not doing anything,' she said.

'Tides, Swati… the moon has blessed us with high tide!' said Vignesh.

Vignesh had kept quiet through the meeting. He whimpered behind the curtain all the time when Chandra spoke.

Ashwin somehow became cheerful.

'One burden over! Two more to go,' he said to himself.

Ashwin opened the door of his cabin and sent everybody to their cabins and told them to sleep. They were puzzled like Ashwin, because they could not believe they were out for twelve hours and day had become night?

Ashwin opened his book.

'O Ma, please give me the power to find our location. Please shower your knowledge on us too,' he said.

The book glowed white, and Saraswati appeared.

'Son, you are the cleverest I have met. You understood the value of Chandra on your trip. I of course want your success, but I myself do not have any way to find my own Shweta Padma. If you have to find it, you must, as a hint, think how we churned Amrit,' she said, and disappeared, leaving Ashwin more disturbed than ever.


	3. Part Two: POV Parvati

**Indian Chronicles- The Kailashanath Diamond**

A TRIBUTE TO PERCY JACKSON SERIES BY RICK RIORDAN.

-By Ashwin T Shekhar

Parvati was confused for this trip was in no way rational or scientific. They had just plunged into deep darkness, fainted for half a day, and reached a cosmic river which looked more like a giant pipeline than a river. More than that, the moon had just jumped aboard their ship.

The next morning when they woke up, Parvati walked over to Ashwin and asked him for the new element he had discovered at the _Samudra Devta's _Palace. He gave it to her and whispered.

'Don't judge me badly; no lab machine can decipher this element. This is the precious mark of the ocean. It values a lot,' he said so, looking grave.

Parvati thought about all the impossible things that were happening around her, and she decided to give up her Quest for a new element. She had other things on her mind, after all.

Ashwin, she noticed, was feverishly scanning his gift. His eyes moved fast as a rocket as he scanned each page. She decided to leave this alleyway. She went to the deck out in the front.

She found Jasnoor and Madhumita fussing over a puny thing.

'I can try cooking, what is wrong with you?' asked Jasnoor.

'Why work hard, when I can bring food out of thin air for you?' countered Madhumita, with a concerned look. Ashwin entered the deck, without his book. He sighed deeply and went to the fridge.

'You all have memory disorders, I think,' he said meekly and opened the door, '_Maye tvam mam abhilasham jagrati! _Fill our desires for _ann _please!'

As usual, the white fridge filled itself with the tastiest delights Parvati could think of. Very neatly, Jasnoor arranged the toast and milk at the table for everybody. It seemed that Nandita and Swati were still sleeping.

Suddenly, Swati entered the hall, grinning widely, followed by Nandita.

'Hey, I have something to tell you. Nandita, do the honours,' she said.

'Well, last night, we were discussing about Jyoti. We were wondering she disappeared on a quest for _what_?' asked Nandita. 'You see, we have guessed that Jyoti was sent by Narada to Naraka to search for something else that was stolen. As I know, Ashwin has been granted a job by Saraswati. So, this means, that someone from Naraka has stolen the Shweta Padma. That could be the only reason,' Nandita said this with such confidence, that it made Parvati think in the same way.

'So you claim our special quests to save mankind are interconnected?' asked Ashwin, frowning and looking moody.

Parvati thought about it. It seemed very unlikely that the Shweta Padma would be in the Underworld – a place with no knowledge at all.

Ashwin stared at Nandita in surprise.

'So this theory is- Swati's?' he asked.

Swati nodded. She seemed to back at her usual self again.

'The real reason for Kambaj being destroyed is the Angkor Wat temple being lost across the centuries isn't it?' asked Swati.

'True.'

'Then there must be an entrance to Naraka in this temple,' Nandita declared.

'Of course! So the bad luck from Naraka inflicted on Angkor, and Kambaj declined. That must be it!' exclaimed Parvati, establishing the connection.

'Hmm – So the Underworld entrance was right there and the powerful influence of Yamraj made the empire decline…' Vignesh thought deeply, for he had not spoken the entire time.

'Oh my gods, I did not read this paragraph!' Ashwin opened up his book, and read out for everyone.

"The Cambodian Authorities hide this fact, but all gods know that Angkor Wat was destroyed by Yamraj's Wrath, a curse. This curse inflicted forgetfulness among kambujans (Cambodians) who slowly forgot their homeland. Later, after the excavation, the temple serves only as a tourist spot and its aura (_Oravam) _is gone completely."

After reading the paragraph, Swati looked triumphant and glared at Ashwin.

'Alright, alright. Your theory makes sense. So now just sail about, shall we?'

Many days passed by in the Bharatiya Nauka. Often, Parvati would set up research on the oyster diamond. She would research on the computer; use her equipment, but no way. This oyster diamond had an 'X ELEMENT' sign on it always. She only could scan a photo and get thousands of reports on Google Goggles. Yet, no proper answer showed up.

Ashwin kept occupied with his gift. He seemed to have finished reading it, but he kept on looking at each and every topic.

Vignesh seemed more desperate to open up his computer and read stuff on Wikipedia. Seemingly, the others kept on gossiping something on the deck.

At night, Parvati would open up the lab and do her usual things.

But one night was very different.

She saw the research screen and gasped.

'E-9048-XD- ELEMENT ON KEPLER 22-B' it read on the screen.

She went to Google, and typed the same. Only results on KEPLER 22-B came up. There was only one thing on minerals on Kepler.

'**Minerals on Kepler:**

Due to its strange earthlike pretence, Kepler 22-b has a set of earthly metals and new subdivides metals. Click Durga to know more.'

Looking at the web address, she was shocked. She typed that address out and opened up a new tab.

'**WELCOME TO DURGA BHARATIYA SAMAJ**

**Today's Scoop**: The Quest which we all see… learn about the latest quest for Ardha-Ishwaras. Subscribe today!

**Know more about my own planet: Kepler 22-b (Kamanya 22-B)**

I have introduced a new element on this planet which I have rented recently. Enjoying the hot dry winds on Kamanya is my hobby. Every single breath of mine echoes in the empty soulless region of Durga Valley. I have constructed (With the help of Brahma Reality Co.) a huge metropolis for myself. In the E sector, I have introduced the Veera Stone. It is located in the Mahishasura Bay, and is an alloy of oyster and diamond. Cost: 20000 Mohar only! (Order online at Karma online) Regardless, I have sent one souvenir copy to the Earth. Wherever it falls, it will bring challenges and monsters only. I wanted the Earthlings to be more sportive…

**MA DURGA'S LATEST UPDATES (AND GOSSIP FROM HEAVEN)**

**LIVE DURGA Newsletter. Subscribe today!'**

'My Ambe has her own website?' she asked to herself incredulously.

She understood. This was a threat. A challenge by her godly parent.

'_Dear, dear. My dear Ardha-Ishwara is getting nervous! Battle the next challenge if you can!'_

The voice of Durga clang in her head throughout the night, she rolled about, unable to sleep.

Parvati woke up to an alarm bell of an eagle. Outside, the pipe had somehow opened up partially to the morning sky.

There were yells coming from the outer cabins. She ran outside, seeing the First Parvati Challenge.

Even by Indian Standards, it was huge. This eagle was as huge as a sedan, but vaguely tall and with very sharp talons that glinted gold in the sunlight. The eagle screeched and others ran for cover.

'My Ambe's first challenge. Everyone, please come back on deck. It will not go away without hurting any one of us,' she said.

Ashwin went a bit back and stood in front of the harsh sunlight.

'_Maye tum mam Varadam svaha. Ichha devtam pavittam…Javargo!' _He chanted this in full speed, and it more of a mumble, but the eagle wined in pain at this. There was a huge gash in both its wings. It could not escape now. This meant they had to kill it.

Ashwin vanished for a millisecond and appeared at the side of back of the eagle. It whimpered in pain as he stepped on its injured wing. Ashwin rematerialized safely near the stairs to the cabins.

Swati was closing her eyes and praying heavily. She was muttering slokas at full speed. Here Nandita and Parvati was circling the creature, finding a weak spot where they could hit it and move back.

'_Ichhadehi Pitashri mam vatan jagrato! Aham bhiksham tam._' Vignesh was adding to the mantra attack. He was forcefully thinking of his father, Parvati thought.

WHOOSH!

A huge wave swished aboard onto the whimpering eagle's wound, at this, the eagle cried in anger and frustration. It slashed its talons fiercely and the end of one of those grazed Nandita's little finger and she yelled in pain. Parvati grabbed _Trinayan _and jabbed it forcefully in the region where an eagle's lungs would be. The eagle collapsed on the spot, turning into golden mist. This slowly changed colour.

It became a lion, the symbol of Durga, weaved onto a silk cloth. Parvati grabbed it, very happy at what she had finally done.

_Ambe, I have done something you would not have expected, _She thought.

_Definitely, dear. _The same voice replied to her.

Bottom of Form

6


	4. Part Two: POV Gaurav

**Indian Chronicles- The Kailashanath Diamond**

A TRIBUTE TO PERCY JACKSON SERIES BY RICK RIORDAN.

-By Ashwin T Shekhar

Gaurav felt ignored, mutilated, even mistreated at the kind of confusing treatment he was being given at the Ishwar Academy. Every single person there (except Narada, who always nodded as he went past) seemed to feel that Gaurav was somebody alien. First of all, he remembered those PSBBMS students who had gone for an adventure to save the world. (_Lucky_ _me_, _I'm out of the proceedings_, he thought).

Every time he would approach Narada, he would stop whatever he was doing and would just nod his head. Every single time. Mainly, the Kartikeya Altar seemed almost foreign to him. The peacock, the lance, and every single symbol of Kartikeya made him feel… confused.

No, _rebellious _is the word.

Gaurav was brought out of every single class (be it Sanskrit, where he wrote something disgusting on the board, or YogMukta, where he created a havoc during breathing exercises, or Talwaar Vaar where he threw his sword in frustration) and was termed 'trouble by Ishwar's standards'. Everyone avoided his eyes, as though he had something infectious, and they jumped really high if they talked to him. Gaurav had to endure all of this, to another notice that caused him to yell at the notice board (which wouldn't budge).

'The Ardha-Ishwaras from all the altars except four and five are supposed to assemble at the shore of the lake this afternoon.'

Surely, that would mean something in the water? Gaurav was, to his opinion, the worst hydrophobic case in the world. The sight of water more than five litres was enough to make him faint, or in worse cases, vomit.

Anyway, Gaurav assembled along with other children of Kartikeya at the lakeshore. Narada was there, along with Shri and Jagdish. Jagdish was the head of the Altar Five, and Shri was the head of Altar Four.

'As everyone assembled knows about the RathSamorav this year, we will be inaugurating this ceremony with these two Ardha-Ishwaras. The shortlisted students for each and every altar are as follows:'

Narada kept on droning about the rules of RathSthan and the honour in being part of designing a Rath for your altar. Gaurav again had a surge of rebelliousness inside him. He slipped away from the lakeside and ran towards a completely remote corner of the campus. This area was considered haunted.

The rebellious part of him wanted to be in this area till the droning ceremony got over. The wise part of him told him to look around and think twice. He chose the rebellious part of his brain as his leader.

Along with this area being rumoured as haunted, there was an old shack over here - more like a _haveli _or an Indian mansion. This was completely black in colour, with crumbling walls and ivy all over.

Gaurav thrust the old Iron Gate, which creaked in response and walked inside. The once lively lawn was now covered with dead willow trees. He went past the ivy-covered archway which looked like an entrance.

The second he entered the building, all his rebelliousness vanished. The problem was, his wise self also vanished. Mist- not normal- but deep grey mist started moving towards him. He stumbled on an old skeleton of a rat.

_Maranam taradi chatvam taradi. Yama-vara yama-swaha!_

A queer mantra was echoing around a small cubicle in the middle of the hall.

He approached it.

'AAAARGH!'

The last thing he remembered was slipping through a small black cavern before darkness engulfed him.

Gaurav came to his senses when he stopped falling and was woken by a strange hissing sound. _Oh no, water!_ He thought. When he opened his eyes, he saw nothing but a small pinprick of orange light coming from front of him. He got up and felt a weird pain in his temples, like someone had smashed a brick onto his head.

He regained his walking ability, and started walking.

And walking.

And walking, and walking and walking.

He saw that the soil below him was a deep red colour- something never seen on Earth. It was patched with series of grey in between- like a massive cowhide pattern. The hissing noise was coming from, he found out, the soil itself, which steamed and hissed. The whiff of the steam which his nostrils caught was very much like a chemical- chlorine.

He thought chlorine was poisonous to humans, not until then, when he understood what Ardha Ishwaras were vulnerable to. He kept on walking till he found a pewter grey lake beside… something like a megalopolis, with levels of steaming hillocks and towering black turrets.

Again, he heard small parts of slokas which left him completely chilly- like his bone marrow itself was freezing.

_Maranam taradi chatvam taradi. Yama-vara yama-swaha!__ Karunyaye, yaminiye! Om Bhagwane Priyaye! Om... nashtandriye! Karuppadivye! Yaminiye Vibramhate!_

Though the hillocks in the city were emitting hot steam, Gaurav felt oddly cold.

He kept on walking towards a massive turret- the biggest of all in this area, behind which he saw a long a steep rope bridge heading somewhere north. He came at the borders of the huge city, and found tall rusted iron gates, under which words were written. Mostly they were Sanskrit words, and one of them was _Arvada Nashtandriye_ which Gaurav had written on the board in Sanskrit class. He pushed the gates, an odd urge engulfing him, his rebel returning to him. The gates, though rusted, did not move even a centimetre, and Gaurav had to say something which he could translate as Death is Great.

'_Maranam taradi mahanam,_' replied a gate, and the gates swung open.

Gaurav walked past massive turrets, which (after a peek inside one of the tiny windows) Gaurav saw were full of cells with something hot and liquid inside them, and beds made of melted iron.

He did not want to peep inside such unpleasant places again, but out of curiosity, he looked at various signs in front of each turret.

'_By the order of Yamraj _

_Every single person had committed one sin throughout his life. Presumably, persons who would have committed less than 5 would go to the land Maharajadhiraj hates the most. Those of you who have the privilege of entering Naraka must have committed more than 5 sins._

_CELLS A, B AND C: For those who committed 5-10 sins_

_CELLS D TO G: For those who are VIPs and committed 10-30_

_CELLS H AND I- THE HELL AND I PEOPLE: THE VVIPs who committed more than 30 sins per year._

_Signed, _यमराज'

He was now in hell! He was in Naraka! He kept on walking to reach the palace of Yama! The rebel in him seemed to be a daredevil. He entered the building with ease, and found that the doors were open. He walked through and felt almost… home.

'_Welcome to the court of Yama,' _said a skeleton next to a painting of Hiroshima. (_How do I know it's Hiroshima? _he thought) He walked on till he found a long black- fully black hall which opened up at the top to reveal an orange sky.

'Welcome, you, boy!' shouted a harsh female voice. It was quite deep and the voice's owner was right in front of the painting of Hiroshima.

'I know you were claimed by the pestering hospitality _god,_ I put an emphasis on that, for I hate every upperworld creature who dares trespass to lands of the dead. You, boy, come over here!'

Gaurav did not obey. However, his legs moved front of their own accord and he came in front of a lady with long flowing reddish black hair. She wore a necklace of skeletons, and a black sequin dress with shimmering orange designs of something evil. Gaurav did not know what.

'Yamini,' he whispered quietly.

'Dear me, as though nobody will identify me, little Ardha Ishwara! Now, come over here and pledge yourself to the Naraka's Lord before I crush you to pieces,' Yamini said coldly.

'Or, on a second thought, crush _that _Ardha-Ishwara to pieces. Yes, that would be good. It will be fun to watch Shiva's daughter crumble to Naraka is it not?' she added nastily.

Gaurav kept quiet. The air shimmered and a rusted iron cage appeared with a girl inside. She wore the custom Ishwar Academy dress- a standard white kurta pyjama. Her hair was long and unkempt, and she looked really thin, like she had not eaten for ages. And she was asleep or dead, he did not know.

'Basically, pestering upperworld creature, she is part of Naraka. She is neither dead nor fully alive. The power of Shiva saves her. But the second the Yama Bhoomi diamond will come back here…' Yamini imitated a knife cutting her neck. 'So, what do you have to do? Bring me the powerful Kailashanath, and you might, you _might, _save this pestering _girl_.'

Gaurav did not know what to do. He looked at Yamini with disgust and hatred.

'Where is Yama?' he asked, frowning, noticing that the other throne like black chair was empty.

'Dear Husband gone to judge,' Yamini mumbled.

Gaurav found himself floating. 'Goodbye pestering kind! I just wanted to give you a treat! Was I joking? No! I am here to warn your kind! So, Aphrahan is going to be your destination, understand? Adios, not my amigo!'

Yamini laughed, while Gaurav kept on going up, a maniacal laughter that suited her costume well. She shrieked in glee till Gaurav was back in the Academy's Haunted Mansion. H knew now. This was no haunted mansion. This was a passage to Naraka, right in the heart of Ishwar Academy. This was a temple to Yama, maybe the only one in the whole world…

6


	5. Part Two: POV Jasnoor

**Indian Chronicles- The Kailashanath Diamond**

A TRIBUTE TO PERCY JACKSON SERIES BY RICK RIORDAN.

-By Ashwin T Shekhar

Jasnoor hated this journey. Not to mention the horrible purpose. The danger involved in this journey, she thought, was just way too much for her. One, being put on the deck when a rogue eagle wants to kill you did not seem as an excellent idea to her. Two, ripping up that eagle at its heart, she would give _that _a perfect eleven on ten rating on her 'Gross' scale.

The main thing she seemed to be able to do was cook. Even that usefulness was being absorbed by Madhumita, who seemed to be eager to create food out of thin air. Jasnoor privately thought she had a point, but she would counter by saying that food made out of _air _was unlikely to be healthy.

Even more, to add to her avalanche of objections, everyone seemed to be interested in fighting. Be it mantras, water or sword, everybody wanted to kill dirty great serpents and ugly predators of the sky. She felt that everybody seemed to ignore the fact that anything cannot disintegrate just like that unless bewitched. There seemed to be a slight understanding problem over there.

More and more _challenges _by Durga was going to, in her opinion, not give Parvati fighting experience, but actually get her severely injured. Durga definitely was a taunting, annoying character.

_I mean, which kind of godly parent thinks killing people is a way of helping them? _she thought. Even her godly _Ma, _Lakshmi, seemed better than Durga. The 'Man Booker Prize Worthy' story cooked up by Swati only made her seem intelligent, but it seemed to be a tall tale to Jasnoor.

_Swati thinks Yama stole the Shweta Padma? Impossible._

Of course, this wild theory was accepted by everyone except Ashwin, who seemed to have taken an objective to practice mantras. He seemed to be preparing for some battle, and Jasnoor dreaded if she would be asked to join the next one. She had whimpered behind the cabin door when the others fought the eagle. She simply loathed birds of all shapes and sizes.

On the deck, the ever-chatting duo seemed to be serious at last. Swati, whose father, incidentally the patron of medicine, was nursing Nandita's little finger, with Nandita herself glaring at Swati.

'Will you stop this, Swati? I think you know that more challenges are to come, for Parvati told us about those challenges?' she said.

'I know, Nandita, but I feel that something serious is going to happen. My _Pitashri _is all-knowing, you cannot deny that,' replied Swati.

Nandita dragged her hand away from Swati's.

'Nandita!'

'Oh please. Your father is _all-knowing _so you want to be at the top?'

'It's nothing like that!'

Nandita furiously took deep breaths. She seemed to be unable to control her anger, because she continued.

'So you _sense something serious is about to happen_. Big deal. So, you mean that this challenge should be ignored?'

'I am not telling you to ignore the challenges, but I just…' Swati's voice trailed away, her sentence left hanging open.

Jasnoor wanted to stop the argument, but it seemed stopped already.

'Fine. I will inform you if anything _serious _happens,' said Nandita and she stalked away towards her cabin.

Swati looked flabbergasted, but she turned her expression to something else, fear.

'I know something is about to happen, I know,' she said to herself.

Jasnoor went back inside her room, filled with a useless _induction stove_. What was she to do with such an useless object? Pass her time cooking things? There were no raw materials, and she could not cook anything just like that. She went out to the cabin corridor. She saw Madhumita lurking around.

Madhumita caught her eye and approached her.

'Oh hello, Jasnoor, why were you hiding when they battled that eagle?' she asked, smiling coolly, not unfriendly, but somewhat teasingly.

'I am scared of eagles,' Jasnoor said in monotonous voice.

Madhumita giggled. Jasnoor shove her aside. Madhumita burst out with laughter.

'Jus' joking!' she gasped, still laughing uncontrollably.

Jasnoor walked towards the Marine Library, Cabin Two, along with Madhumita at her heels. She knocked twice on the door. She had a few questions to ask.

Ashwin answered the door a bit late. He held up a hand, gestured them inside.

A marvellous sight met her eyes. The cabin had transformed itself very differently. The cabin's bookcases, which were half-empty last time, were now full of books, huge dusty volumes covered in golden Devnagri text.

The bed was spiked next to the circular window. The rest was a comfortable looking blue armchair, and one pale violet armchair, and one pink armchair.

Jasnoor stuffed herself onto the pink one and immediately felt better. All the confusion, the hatred for the trip ebbed away, and was replaced by comfortable thoughts, positive ones.

Madhumita looked the same too, (she had stuffed herself onto the pale violet one) Ashwin alone seemed normal. He asked in a serious voice, 'Why exactly have you come here? I want to know why this sudden company.'

Jasnoor took it as a yes for the questions she was going to ask, and was about to start asking him about the _Lakshmi Kamal Stone, _about which she had realized only now, that a knock came from the door.

Before Ashwin opened the door, a straight backed sea-blue chair propped up.

The door opened, and Jasnoor saw a highly hot-tempered Swati glaring at Ashwin. He told her, somewhat coldly, 'Get in.' and he closed the door with a sharp snap.

'What business do _you _have here?' he asked, somewhat more coldly, when Swati settled uncomfortably on the sea blue chair.

'I sense something serious is about to happen.'

'What?' asked Madhumita, rolling forwards.

'Serious, in the sense?'

When Swati opened her moth to speak…

'Not again!' shouted Ashwin, and a pale yellow chair appeared out of nowhere, making the room cramped, and he answered the door. It was Vignesh.

'Get in,' said Ashwin, pointing at the vacant yellow chair.

'So, you sense something bad and serious is about to happen. To whom exactly?' asked Ashwin, in a flat and drooling voice. Swati seemed to be outraged at this response, and flared up at once.

'I have no idea to whom! I only know something is about to happen!'

'Yeah, maybe…' said Madhumita, who seemed to be contemplating the situation. She frowned at the ceiling, and kept on listening.

'AARGH!'

There was a piercing scream echoing from somewhere near the deck, and Swati ran towards the door, opened it, and rushed forwards.

Then the others followed her. Jasnoor felt the scene need not be described. It was terrible. The creature on deck was terrible enough to scare anybody. It looked notoriously young- a ghost like creature, with a pale grey complexion. Moreover, Vignesh almost screamed at others, 'We cannot kill it! It's Jyoti!'

'_Jyoti?_' asked Nandita, who was there already, with an element of surprise.

The outfit was recognisable enough- the pale white salwar kameez, the standard Senior Student uniform of the Ishwar Academy. The only problem was, her face was bloodless, as though she had been dead for long. Jasnoor could say that nobody wanted to kill a girl. Even the mantra chanters seemed hesitant to chant.

The ghost Jyoti opened her mouth wide and let out a piercing scream, and now Jasnoor knew the source of the scream. The ship rattled past the tunnel's side, almost like a bus which collided with a railing.

The screeching noise, along with the howling of Jyoti's ghost, seemed to make Jasnoor deaf.

_No, dear. You must talk to her. Reason with her._

A soft female voice spoke to her inside her head. It kept on reassuring her, till she felt quite confident. She approached the terrifying ghostly form and spoke to her in a calm voice.

'Jyoti, are you Jyoti?'

The ghost did not turn at her words.

Jasnoor felt more confused, but went on.

'You, are you listening, dear? You can reveal yur identity and let go. Enjoy yur time!' Jasnoor did not know how her accent had oddly become like a Welsh person, but saw the effect immediately.

'_Maranam jayate! Yu do not understand this statement, do yu, idiotic Yami? I am simply not going to do yur dirty work. Sorry.'_

With that, the shimmering ghost vanished, but so did Swati, with her.

'_Got fooled by ugly buttering did we, Daughter of Lakshmi? Out of all the gods of upperworld, I hate yur Mother the most! Ask why? Well, I shall answer yur question. She is my exact opposite is it not? Well, I have taken yur most great treasure, a person! Control this ship now, and show me!'_

The ringing harsh and deep female voice's echoes subsided, with Nandita looking like she had visited a funeral, and the others looking confused. Jasnoor saw that Ashwin seemed to have brought up a virtual copy of his mother's gift again. He read the pages and burst out.

'Listen! The most important person in Naraka for female spirits is Yami, who has further set of death ministers behind her. Of course, she has the right to seize people who are dead. She also has written the female laws, in which she states that, every female that enters her realm will be subjected to eternal pleasure, and those who have come unasked will die the hard way.'

After completing the depressing paragraph, he waited for the others to start bawling about the ship.

'What if she has been imprisoned?' asked Ashwin.

'You mean like Jyoti?' asked a familiar but unfamiliar voice.

Behind them was a boy with a pale complexion, long brown hair hanging in curtains around his thin oval face, and unblinking deep black eyes.

'Gaurav?'

6


	6. Hamare Sanskaar Va Icchaen (Gods)

**Hamare Sanskaar va Icchaen**

**by Ma Saraswati**

**Hello! I am your guide and mentor- ma Saraswati. If you want to know more about our confusing mythology of India****…**** well, you chose it! I will guide you through the perilous world of monsters, gods, Ardha-Ishwaras (that is you) and become like a highway board in the midst of barren desert lanes. (Well, you get the key idea, I hope.) **

So, in the section we will discuss the following:

Gods (oh my heavens)

So, my dear Ardha-Ishwara, I do hope you will live to tell the tale that you have somehow got hands on the gift of Ma Saraswati!

Though do not go bragging about it, Bhole Industries will banish me from Svarga for that offence!

Signed,

Saraswati (सरस्वती) as on 21/1/13

**HEAVENS AND WAY DOWN- GODS!**

Well, dear demigod, it's time to know more about the gods in Hindu mythology. I would suggest you'd sharpen your skills on Indian History and Culture, because Narada is very particular about that. Here, I will type up (jot down in ancient times, it's a Cyber yug now ) about all your typical gods in the present time.

Lord(s) of Kailash and Sagar

Shiva (altar one)

**Look:** Typical crimson suit, long hair, fair complexion, a very powerful trident hidden down his pocket in miniature form.

**Personality: **Uncontrollable anger when infuriated (did I mention the angry dance which destroys civilization?) but usually calm and peaceful.

**Lives and works: **On Mt. Kailash about 10000 feet above sea level which is covered by the _Dhund _often called Mount Everest. His job is to kill ignorance, evil and he also has an avatar which acts as the separator of heaven, earth and the underworld. He had powers over fire and (amazingly) explosives.

Vishnu (Altar five)

**Look: **One of the only gods who has not gone modern completely. He wears a kurta pyjama with live fishes swimming in it (like a fabricated window). Smiles a lot, is very calm.

**Personality: **Being the god of the sea, the future and maintenance, he is very calm, never provoked. If he is provoked, disasters happen over his domain, like submerging one island or the other.

**Lives and works: **Under the ocean, in an undisclosed location off the Bay of Bengal. He is the god of the sea, the future and maintenance. He can have amazing powers over creatures as well. Once, he killed thousands of people in a tragedy called the Great Wrath.

Brahma (Altar three)

**Look: **Have you read the HP Series? If you have, Brahma has long, sliver Dumbledore-y hair, glasses just like his, and suits of varying shades of purple and green.

**Personality: **Arrogant at times; this lead to Lord Shiva cursing him and saying that he would never have a temple (except at Altar Three and Pushkar). He is a god with a sense of humour, jovial and at time very good to be with.

**Lives and works: **Brahma lives in an ancient palace in Mount Narcondam (an extinct volcano of India) which is called the nearest heaven from earth. He is the god of creation, and the god of science (big surprise, Chemistry is hard for his children). He enjoys company.

Ganesha (Altar seven)

**Look: **Ganesha is very, very intelligent. Imagine seeing a god with the head of an elephant wandering on Mount Road? Well, Ganesha changed his head's appearance to what it was like before Lord Shiva chopped it down. So he looks normal enough to be a professor at some college.

**Personality: **Very attentive, he can write thousands of words in seconds after someone read them out. That was exactly how he wrote the epic _Mahabharata_, with himself an expert at listening. He is always attentive, and thus, small scuffles in his class (mechanics) will not go unnoticed by him.

**Lives and works: **As the god of luck, attentiveness, and confidence, he likes to go across the world looking for the best of the best jobs and opportunities.

Hanuman (altar eight)

**Looks: **Not at all like Ganesha, Hanuman preferred his monkey head and tail. He has a primitive voice, wears a leafy set of clothing made of animal hide. He does not live anywhere near human civilization.

**Personality: **Very, very loyal and faithful. He remains completely friendly with his friends and does not leave them when in need. That was how he helped Ram to rescue Sita.

**Lives and works: **In forests where the ruins of Vishnu temples are found. He is the protector of the wild, his realms are forests.

Kartikeya [(aka muruga) altar nine]

**Looks: **Assumes a teenage form, wanders along places like hill stations, playgrounds, and schools, and pops in to assure moral support to people of his age.

**Personality: **Being the God of Youth and sensibility, he guides children in the right way. He is easy-going, intelligent, and brave. All in one package.

**Lives and works: **He lives in various schools. He is the god of youth.

Yama (haunted bungalow)

**Looks: **Black hair which is tied into a ponytail, cold grey eyes, expression that makes you feel like 'Bow!' and a sense of greatness when you are near him.

**Personality: **Wise. Very wise. He helped various people along the way of various stories, epics of demigods. He is impatient, and gets very angry at times.

**Lives and works: **Where else but Naraka? He is the God of Karma, Death Guardian of the male spirits, and the immortal judge of Naraka.

Goddesses of Kailash and Sagar

Durga (altar two)

**Looks: **Very brave looking, intimidating, red-gold sari, long hair tied into plaits, very tall and angry. Her other form Parvati is a bit more gentle.

**Personality: **Hates cowards. Likes the power of the Woman and hates discrimination. She is considered the ultimate woman, and thus, she is very proud and haughty.

**Lives: **With Shiva; she is the Goddess of Women, Power, Courage, Valour etc..

Saraswati (altar four)

**Looks: **White skirt and top, glasses, one classic novel or the other in her hand, a Veena strapped over her shoulder, very stern expression.

**Personality: **Serious, very stern, hates nonsense, very powerful over knowledge (she can make anybody stupid or clever) and has no sense of humour.

**Lives and job: **No, not with Brahma. She becomes a teacher at schools, disguises herself searching for model students she can bless. She is very choosy about her children, so you should be great to be on her side. She is the Goddess of Knowledge, Arts, Wisdom, Studies, and peace.

Lakshmi (Altar six)

**Looks: **Long hair tied into a ponytail, smiles a lot, pink top and green salwar, blue dupatta. She varies her collection usually.

**Personality: **Calm, gentle, obviously motherly, and very, very powerful in making others believe her.

**Lives and job: **With Vishnu, and her job is very simple. She is the Goddess of wealth, courage, children, prosperity, power, and subtlety.

Yami (Sadly no altar)

**Looks: **A lady with long flowing reddish black hair. She wears a necklace of skeletons, and a black sequin dress with shimmering orange designs of something evil and a very harsh and deep voice.

**Personality: **Very evil. Full stop.

**Lives in Naraka. Her job is to guard the female spirits of Naraka**

**. **


	7. Hamare Sanskaar Va Icchaen (Profiles)

_**Ardha Ishwara Profiles- A never before seen description**_

Dear little demigod. Well, it's time you know the characters of the first story. If you could please turn on your brain and look below… you will see that how painstaking it is to take an interview with busy Ardha Ishwaras!

**Gaurav**

Hey, everybody, I'm Gaurav. So everybody knows I am the hot gossip of Heaven. I also do know that people are cooking wild theories that I am a son of Yama. The answer is- I don't know! Oh, stop guessing, you lot- over there!

You have, of course, seen how I look. I have long black curtain like hair, I look pale all the time (but I am not malnourished, I assure you) and my favourite colour is black. So what? You come to conclusions that I am a son of Yama? Well, I am not used to such treatment to be honest…

**Ashwin**

Ainsi, un fils de Saraswati est très, très ennuyeux et grave pour vous? Qu'est-ce que vous attendez? Un imbécile complet d'un garçon? Eh bien, j'espère que vous ne me prenez pas, mais tu étais complètement stupide erreur.

Did my previous paragraph not make sense? Sorry for that. It happens, often. I do have side-parted black hair and I am serious most of the time as you've read in the books. I love reading. No reason, but I love reading. I like listening to instrumental classical (not Indian) music if it has no words. Else, I like only one game: Chess and nothing else appeals me, and for outdoor games… uh, I will skip them for the better. Oh, and I do not study at all- (not regularly at least) I guess that's Ma Saraswati's gift…

**Jasnoor**

Okay...

So here am I:

PERSONALITY: I just love books and music. Just like my mom I too am calm and gentle but... but but and but... I love the quality of mine, which is that I am very persuasive sometimes (thanks to mom). So in short I am almost a copy of my mother (but prefer tees and jeans).I am friends with the world's most courageous, intelligent, strong, magical and sometimes irritating demigods... but I love them. Any more information needed about me can be told by my friends. I can't appreciate myself too much right? (Kidding!)

AGE: I am 14 now. (Probably the oldest one on the ship)

APPEARANCE: I have a fair complexion and have black hair till my back. You can call me tall and not exactly thin but okay types. I am a Sikh so I have a metal bangle on my right hand and that's why long hair and dark chocolate brown eyes with long eye-lashes ... yeah you got it... So I'm just another CLAIMED normal kid by a goddess as mom.

**Madhumita**

Well people...'Daughter of BRAMA" I know you people will think it is lame..! But I am warning you ...never judge a book by its cover! I may also be one of the most mysterious characters. Loved ones call me Madhu and terrible ones call me "Maadu"... (That is cow in Tamil) I know you will be astonished...but they have a theme song for me, too! I love to talk to friends and then chat with friends..! My world is only sleeping, eating, sometimes books (not like Swati, who is a devout bookworm, or Ashwin, either)...then chemistry, math, history, badminton, pastas and HOT CHOCOLATE..! (Do not think… me in the food stream…) Oh, not to mention Creation.

Others call me fat. They call me "cow". I do not care about their ugly teasing, for Brahma himself ignores such petty things. (Duh) I have shoulder length black hair and HATE plaits and sometimes forego the rules by wearing ponytails. (Oh, please do not tell this to Narada, he shall banish me!)

Then I am cool, funny and CRAZY!...games I like badminton...Throw ball…!

Lastly...I love my family and people at Ishwar Academy**.**

**Parvati**

Hello! I am Parvati. You very well know my scientific approach to things even if I _DO _have an annoying godly parent. I hate it when somebody says stupid things like- 'the earth is the centre of the world' and 'mercury is a solid compound' or 'every action has an opposite, more powerful reaction'. Everything has a strong basis on fact, which is usually scientific. Plunging into cosmic rivers is _definitely_ not scientific or reasonable. I do not want to talk about that trip.

You know about me… I lead quite a quiet life on Bharatiya Nauka in my private laboratory. People are very much gossip loving nowadays, aren't they? See, my godly parent herself is starting a newsletter for gossip on Mount Kailash Mansion! How… coincidental it is that gossip flu has hit the world!

I have… black hair, black eyes and my favourite colour is red or gold, whichever you can select. Duh is not a word that I use in my everyday language. You do understand my statement, don't you?

**Swati**

H**ey I'm Swati and you all know that, so let's get on.**

**I'm very, very impulsive and get very, very ANGRY IF SOMEONE PROVOKES ME. I just love books of any type except biographies and books like "****TEN WAYS TO REALLY INCREASE YOUR STOCKS AND BECOME RICH!"**** or ****"THE GUIDE TO SPIRITUALITY AND HAPPINESS"**** or ****"YOU KNOW YOU CAN DO IT!"**** etc. These books just make me want to throttle the author! I mean, who wants to read about people you see every day on T.V or how to do this and that when you can just slip into a fantasy world, right? **** ! I LOVE English songs; mostly songs with beats or dub step. As for my appearance, I am having medium length dark brown hair and deep brown eyes. I am 'bout 4"6(I know, I know that I'm probably the shortest 12 year old ardha-ishwara) BUT IF YOU TEASE ME ABOUT IT, I ASSURE YOU THAT THE NEXT TIME YOU GET INSIDE THE WATER ****YOU****WILL NOT COME OUT ****WITHOUT BREAKING AT LEAST ONE BONE YOU WILL NOT COME OUT and YOU WILL GET BITTEN OR EATEN BY ANIMALS THE NEXT TIME YOU STEP OUT. THERE. I'VE SAID IT. My Angry self… on the prowl. **

**Nandita**

H**ey, I am Nandita, daughter of the Almighty Lord Shiva (as you already know).Want to know more about me?! Here's my profile... I hate diary entries, so:**

Personality**: Cool and calm (bah), cannot control my rage if it came, funny and I love books, drawing, yoga, music, maths, chemistry, chocolates, movies, cheese pizza... I think I should stop! Also I like Swati a lot, mainly because she is funny, talkative, impulsive and irritating at times! (Don't you dare tell her that I told this.)**

Age**:**** 12 and a half will be 13 on September 24.**

Weapon**: Trinayan.**

Appearance** : Moderately fair, have lots of freckles, wear a red thread around my left hand ( which I got from a temple dedicated to my father), a metal ring on my left ring finger (it gives me confidence),slim and slender, have a little- longer- than – shoulder length black hair, black eyes which look golden brown in the sun.**


End file.
